16-Oct-2019

High-energy materials that can store very large amounts of chemical energy and release it when required are being sought for long-haul space travel worldwide. Nitrogen compounds in which several nitrogen atoms are linked by single bonds possess this ability. These compounds are difficult to ...

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13-Sep-2019

Some creatures, such as chameleons and neon tetra fish, can alter their colors to camouflage themselves, attract a mate or intimidate predators. Scientists have tried to replicate these abilities to make artificial "smart skins," but so far the materials haven't been robust. Now, researchers ...

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Heterostructure crystals could light the way to optical circuits

09-Aug-2019

It may be possible to reach new levels of miniaturization, speed, and data processing with optical quantum computers, which use light to carry information. For this, we need materials that can absorb and transmit photons. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Chinese scientists have introduced a new ...

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X-ray examination shows surprising coexistence of liquid and crystalline form

14-May-2019

Very narrow gaps make liquids crystallise partially. X-ray investigations at DESY show that in gaps just a few molecule diameters wide both, liquid and crystal properties of a material can exist at the same time. The observation of this coexistence is important for all liquids in very small ...

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Researchers modify magnetic behavior of exotic materials

26-Apr-2019

People are not the only ones to be occasionally frustrated. Some crystals also show frustrations. They do so whenever their elementary magnets, the magnetic spins, cannot align properly. Cesium copper chloride (Cs2CuCl4) – or CCC for short – is a prime example of frustrated materials. In this ...

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25-Feb-2019

Physicists have discovered a new effect, which makes it possible to create excellent thermal insulators which conduct electricity. Such materials can be used to convert waste heat into electrical energy. Every day we lose valuable energy in the form of waste heat - in technical devices at home, ...

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Researchers succeed in gaining access to an important chemical compound

11-Feb-2019

Since the discovery of the first homoleptic metal carbonyl complex Ni(CO)4 more than 130 years ago, scientists try to obtain further such compounds formed from a carbon monoxide molecule and a metal that are important for basic research as well as applications. The last new compound of this type ...

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24-Jan-2019

Imperial materials scientists have created new artificial materials which combine our knowledge of metals with 3D printing. The findings could speed up the use of 3D printed materials in everything from construction and vehicles to medical devices. 3D printing is often used to produce engineering ...

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How crystalline structure can affect the performance of MnO2 catalysts

10-Jan-2019

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed and analyzed a novel catalyst for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, which is crucial for generating new raw materials that replace the classic non-renewable ones used for making many plastics. It should be no ...

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The solvation process is of fundamental importance for chemistry – but is very difficult to observe

22-Nov-2018

How a molecule from a solid crystal structure is solvated in a liquid solvent has been observed at a molecular level for the first time by chemists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The process is too fast to decipher at room temperature. The team from the Ruhr Explores Solvation (Resolv) Cluster of ...

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